GLO Brilliant photosDr. Jonathan B. Levine puts whitening power into the hands of consumers with his GLO Brilliant unit, which makes whitening a no-brainer.

You may not be familiar with his name, but Jonathan B. Levine just may be the Steve Jobs of dentistry. The New York-based aesthetic dentist will be here in Honolulu to show one of his newest inventions, an iPod-looking gadget designed to whiten teeth, but that’s just the beginning. He believes the device will revolutionize oral care as a platform for future at-home uses.

You can see the GLO Brilliant system from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 21 at Sephora Ala Moana, where the doctor will be on hand to answer questions and offer smile evaluations.

GLO Brilliant has been clinically tested to show the device can make teeth five shades lighter in three to five days, a result equal to professional whitening, the doctor said in a phone interview for my story that appears in the paper today.

There was a lot of remedial science going on as he explained how the hydrogen peroxide solution breaks down into water and negative-charged oxygen that oxidizes the stains from teeth. The unit generates heat and light that is channeled through a flexible mouthpiece designed to concentrate heat and light on the gel to accelerate the process.

I told him he must get tired of explaining the science to journalists who probably became journalists because they were no good in science and math, but he said he never gets tired of talking science, and it’s pretty obvious inventing things is his passion. Finding solutions to dental problems is what he thinks about when he’s biking with friends, and Kona has been part of his riding circuit for about 15 years.

Like other technology, you have to charge the unit when you take it out of the box. Then, plug in the mouthpiece, line your teeth with the gel (refrigerate when you get it to preserve its potency), stick the mouthpiece in your mouth, press the button on the unit, and just go about doing your chores while your teeth come clean.

Instructions call for four 8-minute intervals (32 minutes) in a row, for three to five days. The unit turns off after 8 minutes for precise timing. After that, you can maintain your brighter smile with up to four 8-minute sessions a month.

Some will be likely become obsessed with getting the whitest white possible and not stop, but Levine warns that overdoing it will damage the internal structure of the tooth, which may turn gray in the process, and you don’t want that, do you?

The initial purchase is $275 at Sephora, and additional mouthpieces are $79, allowing others in the household to use the device. Additional 10-vial sets of whitening gel are $45.

The mouthpiece glows while you’re whitening, and shuts off after each 8-minute interval. Click on either photo to view the how-to video. It may be funny-looking, but it works!